Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 91 0086 [Private salt dealer]

Because of the suppression of the bandits, Zhu Guoxiang's wedding date was postponed. Mr. Bazi from the coffin shop did the math, and the other auspicious day was still half a month away.

Zhu Ming decided to go back to the cottage to have a look, instead of going to see his father-in-law with his father.

Accompanying the student envoy all the time, Zhu Ming didn't go back for several days, and he was really worried. Sitting in a small boat can be said to be like an arrow.

However, apart from the peace of mind of the people, Daming Village has not changed much.

Just clean up the burnt ruins.

Zhang Guangdao was still working outside, and Bai Sheng temporarily held the position of deputy village chief. He came to report happily: "Village chief, Brother Zhang came back two days ago and brought over 20 fleeing households. There are some empty houses at the foot of the mountain. Just let these escapees live in temporarily."

"Twenty or so, please be more specific," Zhu Ming said.

Bai Sheng said: "Counting the nursing dolls, there are a total of 26 new ones."

"it is good!"

Ju Ming was very happy. The population of the village was less than 26, and 3 people were added in an instant. The population growth rate has exceeded [-]%.

Bai Sheng couldn't help but said: "Village chief, you haven't seen how miserable these escaped households are. I used to be miserable. Compared with escaped households, I lived the life of an emperor!"

"How miserable is it?" Zhu Ming asked.

Bai Sheng said: "Brother, do you know brown hair? It is used to make coir raincoats and brown mats. Those fleeing households don't even have a few sackcloths, and they still use brown hair to make clothes. There are three or four members of the family, only one sackcloth If you can wear it out, you have to wear it down the mountain to buy oil and salt. In winter, the whole family huddles in a bed of hemp quilts, closes the doors and windows and leans against the fire. Everyone freezes to death every winter!"

"They don't grow hemp and weave their own?" Ju Ming asked curiously.

Bai Sheng said: "There are not many places in the mountains where water can be obtained, and there are not many lands that can be irrigated with water. How can you be willing to grow hemp? The food you grow has to be carried down the mountain to exchange oil and salt. If you don't starve to death, you are lucky." .”

Ju Ming was silent.

After he crossed with his father, he came all the way downriver, where there were no people inhabited everywhere.Opening up wasteland and farming casually by the river is a hundred times better than hiding in the mountains.

It can only be said that these fleeing households are too scared to even live by the barren river, for fear of being discovered by the government and taxed.

Zhu Ming ordered: "Every new escapee, give them six feet of linen, at least they have clothes to wear."

"Brother benevolence!" Bai Sheng couldn't stand it anymore.

Zhu Ming asked, "Did Brother Zhang say how many fleeing households he can pick up?"

Bai Sheng said: "I guess there are two to three hundred. There are also escaped households living a good life. They occupy the water source in the mountains and gather together to form an escaped household village. People in this escaped household village usually have food and clothing. , I definitely don’t want to come.”

If two or three hundred fleeing households can be absorbed, the population of Daming Village is expected to exceed one thousand!
Don't be afraid of too many people, there are wastelands in the lower reaches of the Han River.

Zhu Ming ordered: "These 26 people are assigned to the six chiefs, and let them arrange houses and land. It is still the old rule, adult men are given one mu of land, and adult women are given half an mu of land, and then they are allowed to farm and farm. Land reclamation. I provide them with seeds, and each person will be given three buckets of rations per month, and the rations will only be distributed for half a year. The reclaimed wasteland will be exempted from tax for three years."

You can't reward too much immediately, you have to take it slowly, otherwise the local villagers will have ideas.

But such a small amount of land would definitely not be able to survive, and even going to tenant farming would be extremely hard, so there was the so-called land reclamation.

It was a semi-barren mountainous land that had been cultivated before, but was confiscated by Zhu Ming after his death.They can only grow some sorghum casually, and they will not receive a few grains of grain in a year. If they cultivate it twice, it will be considered "cooked", which is a disguised act of giving land.

When corn and sweet potatoes are introduced, the life of the villagers will be much better. Ju Ming expects two acres of mountain land per capita.

This can ensure that after the villagers pay taxes, they can barely eat and clothe themselves, but must also work hard.Only when farmers need to farm for a living, can the village head, deputy village head, and Baojia head's family have good fields to have enough labor force for production.

If too much land is allocated to the villagers, they will not be able to grow their own, and who will tenant the land of the rich?

In addition, Zhu Ming also found a difficult problem, there is no doctor in the village!

"In the past, when everyone was sick, they gathered herbs and ate them by themselves?" Zhu Ming asked.

Bai Sheng said: "I've asked before. When bandit leaders are sick, they usually go to Baishitou to ask for a doctor. As for the farmers, they either gather herbs themselves, or they fight hard."

Zhu Ming murmured, "No wonder bandits have occupied this place for decades, and there are occasional migrants to join in, but this population has never been able to thrive. You need to hire a doctor to settle down!"

Bai Sheng had an idea, and said: "Langzhong Zhao in Baishitou, apart from his son studying medicine, he also has an apprentice to help. The area here is too small, and there are not many doctors. His apprentice has been studying for more than ten years. , I have been sitting in the clinic for several years, but I can't be a teacher."

"Understood, the place is too small, and the apprentice will destroy the master's job if he becomes a teacher," Zhu Ming said happily. "I'll give you an errand to invite Zhao Langzhong's apprentice. As long as he is willing to come, he will give twenty acres of land immediately. If he The whole family is here, and each person will be given one mu of land, even a baby has land. The whole family is here, and I will reward him with two more acres of paddy fields!"

"Then he would be a fool if he didn't come." Bai Sheng said with a smile, this task is too easy.

No amount of mountainous land is imaginary, but two acres of paddy fields are extremely valuable!

In Shangbai Village and Xiabai Village, some families own dozens of acres of land, but not even a mu of paddy fields, all of which are controlled by rich households.

That afternoon, Bai Sheng went to ask for a doctor.

Before the doctor came, Zhang Guangdao came back first.

Moreover, fourteen escaped households were brought back, as well as a group of private salt dealers.

Zhang Guangdao introduced: "The village chief, this is brother Liu Peng. He heard that the little white member is gone, and he plans to come over to sell private salt." He also said, "Brother Liu, this is to kill Zhu Zongdao and Bai Zongmin and lead the army Trample Zhu Ming and Zhu Dutou of Heifengzhai."

"I've admired them for a long time," Liu Peng said flatteringly, "Zhu Dutou's name, which hero in Xixiang County doesn't know? Two archers from my village came home, and they brought a lot of rewards, saying that they were rewarded by Zhu Dutou. Everyone said that Zhu Dutou is benevolent and righteous, and doing things with Zhu Dutou will not hurt you!"

Zhu Ming laughed heartily: "Everywhere, the brothers are all working together to kill the thieves. Since we are our own brothers, we must not let them suffer."

Archer Dutou is this position. Although it is only a temporary appointment, everyone likes to call it that.

Just like when Wu Song beat the tiger and became a capital, after resigning, some people still call him "Wudou".

A status symbol, common people eat this set, even the heroes of the rivers and lakes are no exception.

Liu Peng didn't talk nonsense, and cut straight to the point: "Xiaobai Yuanwai colluded with Zhu Er to occupy the private salt channel here. He sells salt for twenty yuan per catty, and he has to go to Baishitou to buy it by himself. Now I transport the salt to By the riverside, it only costs fifteen Wen per catty! This is for Zhu Dutou’s sake, otherwise at least sixteen Wen per catty.”

"Can't it be cheaper?" Ju Ming wanted to bargain.

Liu Peng said: "If Zhu Dutou doesn't believe it, you can ask Third Brother Zhang. Who sells private salt in the whole county cheaper than me? It is estimated that the price will increase next year, whether it is a new master or a new county. Lieutenant, anyone who sells private salt has to pay him tribute."

Well, this is still the anti-smuggling window period.

Zhang Guangdao nodded secretly, indicating that the price is indeed very low.

Zhu Ming said: "I have been to Jiangnan, where the private salt is only sold for a few pennies."

"Can Jiangnan compare?" Liu Peng said speechlessly, "All the salt sold here is Sichuan salt, and it was transported from Bazhou, and it had to go over mountains and mountains all the way. There are still a lot of inspection checkpoints to check, and there is no way to pass without spending money. "

"So that's how it is," Zhu Ming said with a smile, "then fifteen cents per catty!"

Zhu Ming didn't want to lower the price, but purely wanted to find out the origin of private salt.

Now I have found out clearly that the private salt was transported from Bazhong, and they took the Micang Road, which required crossing Micang Mountain.

Sichuan salt is not as easy to control as Huai salt, and a salt well is dug in a remote area if it cannot be kept.This kind of salt well is called Zhuotong well, and the government cannot collect taxes at all. Therefore, private salt in Sichuan is extremely rampant, and Jin salt is directly squeezed out of the private salt market in Hanzhong.

Zhu Ming had a calculation in his heart, and he must take Sichuan as soon as possible when he rebelled in the future.

One is to avoid being stuck with salt, and the other is to be able to levy a large amount of salt tax.

After negotiating the price of private salt, Zhu Ming warmly invited: "Brother Liu, please come to the village for a drink!"

"It's easy to say," Liu Peng was also in a good mood for expanding his business, and greeted a group of private salt dealers behind him, "Zhu Dutou, please drink wine, have a good drink today!"

This is a long-term cooperation. Not only did Ju Ming serve drinks, but he also had a pig killed, and he called a few bosses to accompany him.

After a few bowls of wine, Tian Er bragged: "Brother Liu saw it too. Killing the tiger is very dangerous. Brother Zhang led people up the mountain at night, scaring Yang Ying to the point of shit! The village chief is even more amazing. Carrying a sword, there is no one who is an opponent. One sword will kill one. The former village owner Yang Jun was also in Shangbai Village, and was stabbed to death by the village chief!"

"The majesty of Zhu Du's head," Liu Peng said in awe, "I respect Zhu Du's head!"

Ju Ming laughed heartily: "It's easy, let's do it!"

This group of private salt dealers can barely be regarded as small salt lords, buying from big salt dealers and reselling them.

Zhu Ming seriously suspects that the biggest private salt dealer in this county is Lu Guanren, the richest man in Xixiang!He doesn't even need to come forward in person, he just needs to transport the private salt to Xixiang County, and naturally someone like Liu Peng is responsible for distribution.

That night, Liu Peng was so drunk that he patted his chest and said, "Zhu Dutou is a good man. If there is anything you need in the future, I will come to help you as soon as you say hello!"

"It's easy to say, they are all good guys, and they should help each other," Zhu Ming said with a smile, "If Brother Liu is in trouble, just come to Daming Village."

This kind of salt dealer who runs around will be needed in the future rebellion.

Yesterday, Zhu Ming was still accompanying the student envoy to correct the scriptures and essays of scholars, and today he is fraternizing with a group of private salt dealers.

The painting style is really changing too fast!
The delivery was made the next day, and the first deal was reached, buying [-] catties of salt from Liu Peng.

From now on, if the villagers want to eat salt, they can go to the village to buy it. Zhu Ming does not rely on this to make money.

Sending the private salt dealer away, Zhu Ming said to Zhang Guangdao: "Brother Zhang, don't be in a hurry to go out and recruit fleeing households. You take twenty or thirty people and go into the mountains with me to get things. There are tigers there, and you are here to deal with them." expert."

Heavenly King A, it's time to bring it back.

(Let’s talk about an interesting fact. Lao Wang’s father’s great-grandfather used to be a private salt dealer. When the People’s Army came to liberate him, he donated a few hundred yuan. Later, the land reform also became an enlightened landlord. As for Lao Wang’s great-grandfather, haha, smoke Opium was pumped to bankruptcy, and the land reform was already a poor peasant.)
(End of this chapter)